Travel tips, news and luxury accommodation-Barcelona and Madrid, Spain

Monthly Archives: December 2012

St Sebastian’s Feast Day January 20

Posted by Craig on December 10, 2012 None comments

On 20th January St Sebastian’s Feast day takes place in San Sebastian. If you are lucky enough to be visiting during this time you will no doubt have a memorable trip! For 24 hours the whole city is filled with the sound of drums and music as a re-enactment of the city is held. If you can make sure you follow one of the drumming parades as it passes through the city – these take place throughout the day and into the early hours of the morning. In the morning of 20th January 5000 children take to the streets to take part in their own drumming parade. It is very bright and colourful and truly a wonderful spectacle to watch.

St Sebastian's Feast Day Jan 20

St Sebastian's Feast Day Jan 20

St Sebastian’s Day is an important and impressive event in the San Sebastian calendar. A particularly nostalgic event is the hoisting and then subsequent lowering of the flag in Constitución Square. There is a wonderful atmosphere throughout the city on this day and the partying and merriment goes on long into the night. If you are going to be in San Sebastian on 20th January you won’t forget your trip in a hurry.

Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

Posted by Craig on December 3, 2012 None comments

The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya or MNAC as it is abbreviated to is the national art museum of Catalonia. It is located on Montjuïc hill in the Palau Nacional and houses one of the world’s best collections of Romanesque church paintings. There is also a stunning collection of Catalan art from the end of the 19th Century and beginning of the 20th Century found here.

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC)

Although there has been a museum of Catalan art located here since 1934, it wasn’t declared a national museum until 1990. There was extensive renovation work carried out on site in the run up to the Olympics and various exhibits were added to the collection too. In 2004 the museum was officially inaugurated.

The Romanesque art found in the museum includes an outstanding series of mural paintings and there is an impressive Gothic art collection too. The Renaissance and Baroque Art Collection in the museum was first established by acquiring local pieces and then was grown through donations and acquisitions from private galleries. This is quite unusual for Renaissance and Baroque art collections which are usually established through aristocratic or royal collections.

Anyone who appreciates art will absolutely love a visit to this museum. If you are going to visit make sure you allocate a whole morning or afternoon to it however as there is so much to see!